The blood-red eye on the Four-Sided Dragon Head was glowing, pointing the way forward.
Holding it up, Su Tang kept adjusting his steps while thinking about why this was happening.
—The talisman seeker had lit up on its own when he hadn't activated any power.
He wondered if he'd fallen into a thinking trap before.
He'd assumed that in this contract he made with a devil, he was the passive party.
That he needed the Holy Lord's power and had to pay the price for it—by searching for talismans.
But if you flipped it around, in fact it was the Holy Lord who needed him to search for talismans, and because of that need was paying him the price—letting him use half the power. Didn't that make sense too?
So the Four-Sided Dragon Head would light up early, even without him using power, to get him to follow it to the talisman. Because this was the Holy Lord's need, not the fee Su Tang had to pay.
Thinking of it that way, it did seem to explain things.
Su Tang rubbed his chin and nodded, satisfied.
But which talisman was in such a hurry that it made the seeker anxious like this?
Rat? Goat?
The two talismans that could help the Holy Lord get free ahead of time?
While he was mulling it over, Su Tang realized he'd already arrived.
He looked up. A huge factory filled his sight.
Half the neon sign was lit and half dark, but you could still vaguely make out the word "chocolate."
Mm…
So this was actually the Pig Talisman's guidance?
Su Tang frowned slightly.
He'd thought it would be some new talisman; he hadn't expected it to be the Pig Talisman he already knew about.
It wasn't that he looked down on the Pig Talisman; what puzzled him was—what had happened that made this talisman, which had been sitting in the factory all along, suddenly so urgent to emerge?
It couldn't even wait until the next time he used his powers. It had to summon him here at dusk.
With that thought, Su Tang tucked the Four-Sided Dragon Head back inside his clothes and decided to scout the factory first.
What? You say he'd only yesterday agreed with Makima to explore this factory together?
Ah… that's true. But…
What does what yesterday's Su Tang said have to do with today's Su Tang? Ahem—just kidding.
Mainly, he wanted to see if he could quietly get the Pig Talisman into his own hands first, to avoid certain accidents that might otherwise happen.
And once he'd taken the Pig Talisman, going back to explore the factory together with Makima wouldn't count as deceiving the Section Chief of Division 4.
After all, when they made the appointment, the content was only to tour the factory.
Just right—without extra strings attached, he could properly enjoy the time walking with a beauty and, along the way, observe how chocolate was made.
Of course, if it couldn't be done, he'd still have to call Makima over.
Straightening his clothes, Su Tang gave the factory a rough once-over from outside.
It was grand—probably three times bigger than that derelict factory where he'd run into the Zombie Devil last time, comparable to a small athletic field.
You could tell it had once done booming business, but all four doors on the front, back, left, and right were shut tight.
Just as Makima had said, it had suspended production.
He didn't see any drones or the like around either.
But to be safe, he still slipped along the dead angles of surveillance to the front gate.
His left hand changed into a dragon claw; with the sharp tip he scored a slit in the lock, then used psychokinesis to gently catch the chain so it wouldn't make a sound.
Next, he leaned to look inside through the crack.
He saw a sharp bird beak.
…A bird beak?
Su Tang frowned. He was just about to send a Shadow Ninja in to scout when he noticed the clothes that strange beaked fellow was wearing.
Black suit, white shirt, dark-blue tie.
A Public Safety uniform.
He heard the words that woman had said yesterday in the office echoing in his mind.
"If Su Tang-kun tries to go there on his own, it'll likely make the personnel stationed there very embarrassed."
Massaging his brow with a touch of a headache, Su Tang glanced toward the other four doors. Sure enough, behind each entrance a person in Public Safety uniform was patrolling.
Hell, it was already night. Didn't these people ever get off work?
With a helpless sigh, Su Tang used psychokinesis to rehang the chain on the lock and returned to the patch of grass from before.
He took out his phone and found Makima's name in the contacts.
He shook his head and tapped call.
Night wind whispered.
Leaning on the factory wall, Su Tang was idly playing with a fireball in his hand when his ears twitched.
He lifted his head, looking toward the source of footsteps.
Dress shoes crunching gravel, a black overcoat swaying in the breeze.
An orange-red spark lit the dark; a figure walked out from the end of the road.
Looking at that face softened by the amber lamp glow, Su Tang smiled. "This time it's my turn to speak first."
"Long time no see, Miss Makima."
"Long time no see, Su Tang-kun."
With her familiar smile, Makima quietly came to his side.
She tilted her head and shook the phone in her hand. With a light laugh, she said, "I told you—my phone is on for you twenty-four hours."
"That really is an honor." Flipping his hand, Su Tang put away the fireball and said with feeling, "You're the second person to give me that privilege."
"Oh?"
Makima blinked, a touch of curiosity on her face. "May I know who the other one is?"
"Miss Makima probably wouldn't know him."
Smiling, Su Tang shook his head and walked toward the factory's main gate.
He didn't finish the thought, because he wasn't sure if Makima knew who the head of the San Francisco mob was.
Yes—the first person who'd told him "I'm on for you twenty-four hours" was Valon.
Whenever Su Tang needed it, once his phone turned into the palm-top, Valon would immediately receive the message and reply at once.
No matter what he was doing.
"Even if I'm counting money, or robbing a bank."
—That was Valon's exact line.
A sincere show of goodwill, that.
"When did Su Tang-kun arrive?"
Makima glanced at the lock on the door.
"A few minutes before I called you." Su Tang yanked the already severed chain down to the ground, looking perfectly natural. "I scouted the basics in advance for us."
He didn't bother to hide that the lock had been broken.
He could have, easily—just pick another door, go to the other side, and Makima would naturally follow his steps over to a perfectly intact gate.
But there was no need.
He'd already given up on exploring alone. With both of them here, this kind of thing didn't matter.
"Su Tang-kun…"
"What an interesting person."
Makima's lips curved.
Su Tang shrugged and pulled the doors open.
Creak—
"Miss Makima. Mr. Su Tang."
The Public Safety officer with the beak mask came over and bowed slightly.
"Mm. Good work. You can all head back," Makima said with a quiet nod.
Curious, Su Tang watched the people file past him.
He hadn't seen clearly before; now he noticed it wasn't a bird beak at all but a gas mask.
The kind shaped like the plague doctors in medieval Europe.
But why wear a gas mask in a factory?
Seeing his puzzlement, Makima glanced at the man's retreating back and explained, "He's a special Division 4 member—the Violence Fiend. He's worried his face will scare people, so he always wears a mask."
Ah.
Su Tang was a little taken aback as he shut the door.
Honestly, with all his time around Power and Denji, he still hadn't recognized a fiend.
He looked gentler and more polite than most people.
"The others are fiends too. They'll all take part in the coming operation to arrest the shooters," Makima said as she walked into the factory. "I'll have reporters accompany the raid to restore public trust in Special Division 4 and dispel the fear that's grown among the populace."
Su Tang nodded.
Something occurred to him, and he added, "I still need to thank Miss Makima for keeping my secret and forbidding PS personnel from leaking that I'm… the Black-Cloaked Man. Otherwise I'd have to go out like a celebrity every day with shades and a mask."
Not an exaggeration.
He'd seen a lot of Black-Cloaked Man superfans these last two days—especially in the affected areas—out on the streets daily, talking up the heroics of the Black Cloak.
Honestly, it had been a little scary.
"Mm." Makima nodded lightly with a smile. "After all, I promised Su Tang-kun. Just like you once told me—I never refuse you either."
Su Tang smiled.
He scanned the surroundings, looking for any sign of the Pig Talisman.
The factory was rather empty and very quiet.
Only their footsteps echoed everywhere.
"Miss Makima," he broke the silence to ask, "you said before there were traces of devil activity in here, so you had it sealed. Have you found any clues about that devil?"
"These last two days have been too busy; we're understaffed…"
Makima shook her head mid-sentence, then stopped moving.
Her calm gaze went to the darkness ahead.
She said, "Do you feel it, Su Tang-kun?"
"Mm."
He stopped too and extended a hand to summon a squad of Shadow Ninjas. "It's a devil's presence. I'll have them scout."
With a wave, the ninjas dissolved into shadows and vanished.
Makima tilted her head, quietly watching.
As if appreciating a work of art.
Ding-dang, ding-dang—
The clatter of shuriken and kunai falling hit the floor with a bright clink.
He'd ordered his ninjas to attack with weapons—he didn't expect them to carry the fight; as long as they could draw the enemy out, that was a win.
Judging from the situation, this one was a pretty big win.
Su Tang looked down at the floor tiles trembling faintly beneath his feet.
This was a cement-compacted floor—supposed to be rock-solid, enough to bear machinery of tens or hundreds of tons—yet now it was swaying like a boat on water.
Something big was about to come out!
Face tightening, he watched the front.
In the darkness, a low rumble rolled out.
Then—jerked up to a roar!
The ground shook harder and harder, as if about to tear apart!
The squad of Shadow Ninjas he'd sent were wiped out in an instant! Melting back into shadow!
"That is…"
Two giant tusks split the dark, and a colossal wild boar with blood-red glowing eyes lumbered into view!
The Wild Boar Devil!
Head thrown back, Su Tang looked up at the monster—a full seven or eight meters tall.
The aura was nothing like the devils he'd fought before!
Each of those two tusks was nearly a meter thick! In the moonlight they gleamed with a cold, murderous shine!
"This guy… is a bit too strong."
Frowning, Su Tang turned to look at Makima; she seemed to be thinking the same thing.
"Maybe it's [Gun]'s meat pieces. I just don't know whether it swallowed them itself, or was force-fed," Makima said, propping her chin on her hand. She shook her head. "The frequency of [Gun]'s pieces showing up is increasing. That's not good news. It might mean the [Gun Devil]'s body is about to appear."
He studied Makima's profile.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
Mm… he must have overthought it. No way would the chief of Public Safety's Special Division 4 go around feeding devils flesh pieces—especially in her own jurisdiction.
That would just make trouble for herself.
For what?
"The Gun Devil…"
He tasted the words.
If he remembered right, that Katana Man and Sawatari Akane had also made a contract with the Gun Devil to take Denji's heart.
"So it might be in Tokyo?" he asked.
"No one knows where it is." Makima's face stayed usual. "[Gun] is too fast. It can move through every country on earth within five minutes. The pieces we collected fall off because it's so fast."
Five minutes… every country in the world…
That really was terrifyingly fast.
He didn't know if the Rabbit Talisman could do that, but even if it could, it would be the Holy Lord who could.
As for him? With just half the talisman powers, being able to run around the Tokyo metro area in five minutes would already be something.
"Careful, Su Tang-kun," Makima said softly at his side.
A violent gust slammed their way.
Papers scattered across the floor flew up like snow.
Su Tang rolled his neck.
He didn't need her reminder to know—the ground was trembling again.
The massive Wild Boar Devil seemed to be losing patience and began—its charge!
Its enormity filled the factory to bursting; its four legs pounded forward with unstoppable force!
No room to dodge.
Glancing at Makima standing placidly nearby, he saw she looked no different than standing by the office window.
As if the behemoth shaking the earth with its charge was nothing but a breeze across her face.
That composure—truly admirable.
With a sigh, Su Tang raised both arms.
"Boom—!!"
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